The Dalai Lama, speaking in Geneva on Thursday, has criticised China's policy on ethnic minorities.
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Speaking to reporters, the Tibetan spiritual leader said the time had come for China to review the way it deals with minorities, including Muslim Uighurs.
The riots last month between Uighurs and the majority Han Chinese killed 197 people and injured over 1,700, the Chinese government has stated.
The exiled Tibetan leader also said “it is in the interests of everyone to find a realistic solution to the question of Tibet” and that non-violence was the only answer.
In a meeting on the same day with a top Swiss parliamentarian, the Dalai Lama said climate change posed a bigger threat to Tibet than current political pressures.
“The Dalai Lama has asked me to raise this issue with Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey so that it will be included in international discussions,” the speaker of the House of Representatives, Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi, said.
Scientists have said that rapidly melting glaciers in the Himalayas could have disastrous consequences for Tibet.
The Dalai Lama thanked the Swiss and the government for their hospitality, despite the fact that none of the country’s ministers met him.
About 4,000 Tibetans live in Switzerland, many of whom are now Swiss citizens.
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